I’m super excited to share this queso recipe with you. This Mexican dip is cheesy, creamy and full of fresh flavor. It’s surprisingly easy to make and…
I’m super excited to share this queso recipe with you. This Mexican dip is cheesy, creamy and full of fresh flavor. It’s surprisingly easy to make and utterly irresistible.
This recipe uses a simple secret ingredient—cream cheese—to achieve its gloriously creamy texture and light tang. No flour and no fussy roux required here (as a bonus, this queso is gluten free).
This stovetop queso possesses all of Velveeta’s positive attributes, but it tastes a million times nicer. It even cools down with grace, developing just a slight skin on top that really doesn’t detract from its appeal.
If you’re like me, you probably don’t need an excuse to eat queso while sipping a margarita. I grew up around a lot of Tex-Mex food and like to consider myself a queso connoisseur. If queso is on the menu, I’ve likely sampled it.
My husband, on the other hand, exercises an impressive amount of restraint when it comes to queso. He tells me he doesn’t like it. (He’s generally a rational man, though I question him in cheese-related matters.) This queso is an exception to his rule. He loves it.
We both agree that this is the best queso we’ve ever had. Try it, and I hope you’ll say the same!
What do you say — tacos tonight? I say yes. ♡ And for those of you happen to be looking for some tasty new taco recipes to try, here are a dozen of our readers’ favorite taco recipes that come highly recommended! Whether you’re looking for some new meat, shrimp or fish tacos to try, […]
What do you say — tacos tonight?
I say yes. ♡ And for those of you happen to be looking for some tasty new taco recipes to try, here are a dozen of our readers’ favorite taco recipes that come highly recommended!
Whether you’re looking for some new meat, shrimp or fish tacos to try, or really want to add some delicious new vegetarian taco recipes to your repertoire…whether you need some 30-minute tacos that you can whip up in a flash, or prefer slow-cooked taco fillings that can simmer all day in the crockpot…whether you feel like starting the day with some breakfast tacos, trying a lightened-up version of crispy fish tacos, or join the internet’s current obsession of dunking quesatacos in broth…there’s hopefully a little something for everyone on this list. So many great taco recipes to try!
All you need are 3 ingredients to make my favorite margarita recipe! Instructions included for how to make a single serving margarita or pitcher margaritas for a crowd. Raise your hand if you love a good margarita! ♡ This famously sweet, sour and salty drink will forever and always be my all-time favorite cocktail. But […]
All you need are 3 ingredients to make my favorite margarita recipe! Instructions included for how to make a single serving margarita or pitcher margaritas for a crowd.
Raise your hand if you love a good margarita! ♡
This famously sweet, sour and salty drink will forever and always be my all-time favorite cocktail. But while I adore just about any kind of margarita — frozen or on the rocks, tequila or mezcal, fruity or spicy or fizzy or creamy, you name it — a classic margarita cocktail in my book simply cannot be beat.
By contrast to many of the diluted, super-sweet, and sometimes fizzy huge mugs of margaritas that are often served in restaurants around the world nowadays, a traditional margarita is actually a strong, tart cocktail made with three simple ingredients — good-quality tequila, orange liqueur, and freshly-squeezed lime juice. This simple margarita mix is incredibly quick and easy to make, either for a single serving or a larger batch for a crowd. And it is downright delicious served on the rocks, with or without a salted rim.
I have become quite partial over the years to making margaritas with mezcal instead of tequila, which I highly recommend if you love a good smoky cocktail. And if you feel like spicing your drink up a bit, I’ve also included tips below for how to make a spicy salted rim or muddle a few chile peppers into your drink — so good!
Bottom line, if you love margaritas as much as I do, take a moment to read through my tips below and memorize this simple 3:2:1 ingredient ratio. Then let’s make a round of margaritas together. Cheers!
These Chicken Tinga Tacos are made with smoky chipotle chicken, served on warm corn tortillas, and loaded up with your favorite fresh toppings. So flavorful and ready to go in just over 30 minutes! Craving chicken tacos but short on time? Make chicken tinga tacos! ♡ Chicken tinga is has long been one of my […]
These Chicken Tinga Tacos are made with smoky chipotle chicken, served on warm corn tortillas, and loaded up with your favorite fresh toppings. So flavorful and ready to go in just over 30 minutes!
Craving chicken tacos but short on time?
Make chicken tinga tacos! ♡
Chicken tinga is has long been one of my go-to recipes to make on busy weeknights or to prep ahead of time for easy entertaining. This traditional dish from Puebla, Mexico with its signature smoky, savory, slightly-spicy sauce is remarkably quick and easy to prepare. And when tossed with shredded chicken, loaded into warm corn tortillas, drizzled with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and sprinkled with your favorite fresh toppings, I’m telling you — these chicken tinga tacos are always a hit.
Feel free to make the chicken tinga however works best for you — either on the stovetop, in the Instant Pot, or in the Crock Pot. And while any tortillas that you happen to have on hand will work here, I can vouch that these tacos are next-level irresistible when made with a batch of these homemade corn tortillas. We just made a batch again the other day and served them with chips and salsa, a simple Mexican-inspired side salad, and margaritas and it was one of the best meals I’ve had all month. Always so good!
So if you’re looking for a new taco recipe to add to your repertoire that’s big on flavor and low on prep time, round up these simple ingredients and let’s make some chicken tinga tacos!
On a quiet corner in the Roma neighborhood of Mexico City, the employees at Tortería Los Güeros, a torta restaurant open since 1974, are going through their opening routine. Genaro Aburto, an owner and torta maker, bends downs to drag a pla…
On a quiet corner in the Roma neighborhood of Mexico City, the employees at Tortería Los Güeros, a torta restaurant open since 1974, are going through their opening routine. Genaro Aburto, an owner and torta maker, bends downs to drag a plastic tub into view. “Today is the day we make the pickles,” he says, nodding at the mass of mottled red and green jalapeños bobbing in water. “We’ve already got the carrots, onion, and cauliflower cooking.”
Aburto is just one among legions of torta makers in the capital, those dedicated to assembling Mexico’s most popular sandwich. Though tortas have been eaten for more than a century now, wheat consumption was, at first, fiercely resisted. When the Spanish arrived in the early 1500s carrying wheat, they found an entrenched culture of corn that had been in place for more than 2,000 years. The Spanish created smear campaigns to denigrate corn while proselytizing the purity of wheat; when the taste for bread still failed to catch on, they forced indigenous populations to grow and process it. Hundreds of years later, bread has not supplanted the corn tortilla, though it is eaten as sweet pastry in the mornings, served alongside stews for lunch, rolled into tortillas in the north, and used to sandwich cold cuts and proteins in the ubiquitous, pedestrian torta.
This Chicken Tinga recipe is remarkably quick and easy to make in 30 minutes and tossed with the best smoky, savory, and slightly-sweet tomato sauce. Perfect for serving in tacos, tostadas, burritos, quesadillas and more! With Cinco de Mayo just around the corner, the holiday celebrating the 1862 Mexican victory over the French in the […]
This Chicken Tinga recipe is remarkably quick and easy to make in 30 minutes and tossed with the best smoky, savory, and slightly-sweet tomato sauce. Perfect for serving in tacos, tostadas, burritos, quesadillas and more!
With Cinco de Mayo just around the corner, the holiday celebrating the 1862 Mexican victory over the French in the First Battle of Puebla, I thought it was the perfect time to share my favorite recipe for one of Puebla’s most famous dishes…
…tinga de pollo! ♡
This smoky shredded chicken has long been one of my favorite recipes to make on busy weeknights because it is incredibly quick and easy to whip up and incredibly delicious. If you’re new to tinga, it’s traditionally made with a chipotle tomato sauce that’s seasoned simply with onions, garlic, cumin, oregano and bay leaf. But I also like to add in an extra non-traditional ingredient too…honey! It’s not typically added to the authentic chicken tinga that you would find in Puebla, but I find that its floral sweetness adds a delicious contrast to those smoky and savory flavors in the sauce and highly recommend giving it a try sometime if you’d like.
I also love this recipe because it’s easy to make in the Instant Pot, Crock-Pot, or simply on the stovetop. It’s naturally gluten- and dairy-free. Any leftovers that you might have can also be frozen and reheated easily (and for that reason, I highly recommend making a double batch while you’re at it!). And best of all, this versatile shredded chicken can be used in countless ways. It’s most often traditionally used to make chicken tinga tostadas or chicken tinga tacos. (Stay tuned for my favorite chicken tinga tacos recipe coming later this week!) But you can also use this recipe to make chicken tinga burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, enchiladas, nachos, taquitos, salads and more.
So if you are looking for a good chicken tinga recipe to try, here is my favorite way to make it!
Welcome to Esteban Castillo’s Pantry! In each installment of this series, a recipe developer will share with us the pantry items essential to their cooking. This month, we’re exploring five staples stocking Esteban’s Mexican-American kitchen.
One of t…
Welcome to Esteban Castillo’s Pantry! In each installment of this series, a recipe developer will share with us the pantry items essential to their cooking. This month, we're exploring five staples stocking Esteban’s Mexican-American kitchen.
One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received came from my mom, when she told me, “Aprende a cocinar una buena olla de frijoles y nunca tendrás hambre,” or, learn how to make a good pot of stovetop beans, and you’ll never be hungry. After she told me this, I realized frijoles de la olla, with pinto beans swimming in a broth with aromatics like onion, cilantro, and garlic, regularly kept me and my siblings fed when our parents couldn’t afford to put anything else on the table. So when I was first learning how to cook, I made sure to follow my mom’s advice: I perfected a pot of beans.
Homemade Churros Recipe
These churros are soft and tender with a crisp exterior and tons of cinnamon-sugar. Learn how easy it is to make them at home!
READ: Homemade Churros Recipe
Tamale Pie
Comforting, filling, and oh so flavorful, this tamale pie recipe is everything you want in a weeknight dinner and more! A slightly sweet cornbread topping bakes over a cheesy, spicy ground beef filling cooked with bell peppers, onions, and t…
Comforting, filling, and oh so flavorful, this tamale pie recipe is everything you want in a weeknight dinner and more! A slightly sweet cornbread topping bakes over a cheesy, spicy ground beef filling cooked with bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes. This easy-to-make tamale pie packs in all the tamale flavor with much less work. A […]
This vegetarian enchiladas recipe is fast and easy: a total crowd pleaser! The simple pinto bean and cheese filling is full of flavor. Enchiladas are one of our favorite dinner recipes around here. But they can take a while to prep for a weeknight. Here’s a new recipe we designed to work in 30 minutes flat: these easy Vegetarian Enchiladas! The filling takes no time to whip up: it’s just spiced pinto beans and spices. Roll ’em up, bake until golden and cheesy, and load with all your favorite toppings. These are so quick, we’ve ditched our other favorite recipes for this one (oops!). Ingredients in these easy vegetarian enchiladas Many vegan and vegetarian enchilada recipes have long lead times, because it takes a while to cook or roast vegetables for the filling. But many traditional Mexican enchiladas recipes are supremely simple. We honor the great tradition of Mexican cuisine in this recipe. It’s inspired by the simplicity of the cheese enchiladas we had in Mexico years ago. Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe: Red enchilada sauce: For fast enchiladas, we recommend a great store-bought sauce. More below! Pinto beans or black beans: Canned beans make it fast and […]
This vegetarian enchiladas recipe is fast and easy: a total crowd pleaser! The simple pinto bean and cheese filling is full of flavor.
Enchiladas are one of our favorite dinner recipes around here. But they can take a while to prep for a weeknight. Here’s a new recipe we designed to work in 30 minutes flat: these easy Vegetarian Enchiladas! The filling takes no time to whip up: it’s just spiced pinto beans and spices. Roll ’em up, bake until golden and cheesy, and load with all your favorite toppings. These are so quick, we’ve ditched our other favorite recipes for this one (oops!).
Ingredients in these easy vegetarian enchiladas
Many vegan and vegetarian enchilada recipes have long lead times, because it takes a while to cook or roast vegetables for the filling. But many traditional Mexican enchiladas recipes are supremely simple. We honor the great tradition of Mexican cuisine in this recipe. It’s inspired by the simplicity of the cheese enchiladas we had in Mexico years ago. Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:
Red enchilada sauce: For fast enchiladas, we recommend a great store-bought sauce. More below!
Pinto beans or black beans: Canned beans make it fast and easy!
Cheddar and pepper jack cheese: Using two types of cheese adds nuance to the flavor
Spices: Grab the cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika
Tortillas: Corn tortillas are traditional in Mexican enchiladas and a gluten free option; flour tortillas tend to be more durable
Quickly saute the beans and spices, roll them into tortillas with cheese, and douse with enchilada sauce (and more cheese). It takes just 10 minutes to bake: so you should be able to go from 0 to dinner in 30 minutes.
Grab a great red enchilada sauce (or make in advance)
Often for enchiladas we recommend making your own enchilada sauce. But this recipe is all about speed! So here are your best options:
Purchased red enchilada sauce: There are lots of fantastic enchilada sauce brands at the store: most of them are minimally processed and made with real food ingredients. Every brand is different, so experiment to find one you love.
Homemade, made in advance: Make a batch of our Homemade Red Enchilada sauce! Just make sure to make it in advance to ensure quick prep.
Flour tortillas vs corn tortillas
Corn tortillas are traditional in Mexican-style enchiladas. Flour tortillas are more traditional in Tex Mex and American style enchiladas. There are pros and cons to both! Here’s what to know:
Corn tortillas are gluten-free. Keep in mind that many brands easily split when you go to roll them! To combat this, find the best quality corn tortilla brand you can. Then brush it with oil and cook it 15 seconds per side before assembling. This makes it easier to roll.
Flour tortillas are not gluten-free but they are much easier to roll and more durable in general. They also get nice and gooey from the enchilada sauce.
What about grain free tortillas? There are also lots of other types of grain-free tortillas these days: like almond flour, cassava flour, or chickpea flour (try Siete brand). We have not tried them in enchiladas, so please let us know in the comments below if they hold up and what your favorites are.
How to assemble vegetarian enchiladas: a few tips!
The most time-consuming part of making vegetarian enchiladas? Assembling them! If you can, it’s helpful to have another person to help you in this step: but it’s not required! Here are a few tips for a smooth and speedy process:
Don’t overfill the tortillas. It’s easy to want to put in way too much filling. All you need is a scant 1/4 cup beans and 1/4 cup cheese. Spread them in a line down the center.
Roll them tightly and place seam side down. Placing seam side down helps them stay rolled.
If using corn tortillas, use a durable brand and cook in oil prior to rolling. Corn tortillas taste great and are gluten-free, but they can easily tear and split when rolling them. See the instructions in the recipe and the section below for more!
Favorite enchilada toppings
The best part of this easy enchiladas recipe? Loading them up with all the best toppings! Here are a few topping ideas we love to add:
Sour cream: it’s a must in our book
Guacamole
Feta or queso fresco crumbles
Red onionor green onion
Sliced jalapeno or fresno peppers: bright red fresno peppers look lovely and have just enough heat; they’re a nice option if you can find them
If you’ve got a need for speed…you need some fast side dishes to go with it! What are the best sides to serve with enchiladas? Here are some favorite ideas:
Tomato avocado salad: Toss together tomatoes, cucumbers and avocado into a simple salad.
2 15-ounce cans pinto beans (or black beans), drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespooneachgarlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and kosher salt
14 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
4 ounces shredded pepper jack cheese
12 8-inch flour or corn tortillas
For the garnish: guacamole, sour cream, feta or queso fresco crumbles, minced red onion, sliced jalapeno or fresno peppers, torn cilantro
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the beans (drained and rinsed), cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and kosher salt. Cook for 2 minutes until warmed through and fragrant.
Spread 1 cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish.
If using corn tortillas ONLY: Brush both sides of each tortilla lightly with olive oil. Heat a large griddle to medium-high heat. Cook the tortillas in batches for 15 seconds per side until lightly browned.
Fill each tortilla with scant 1/4 cup of beans and 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Roll it up and place it in the baking dish seam side down. Once all of the 12 tortillas are in the dish, pour over the remaining 2 cups of enchilada sauce. Top with the pepper jack and the remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese.
Bake for 10 minutes. If desired, broil or torch until browned. Top with garnishes and serve. (Leftovers keep well refrigerated.)
Prep Time:
Yield:
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Category:
Method:
Cuisine: